Takaraya Ramen, Pontocho, Kyoto

We arrived in Kyoto in the evening, as dusk was just starting to fall. We’d been travelling all day, from Kanazawa in the North, by the Sea of Japan. It was too short a visit, but we wouldn’t be making the same mistake while were in Kyoto – planning a good 5 days in Japan’s ancient erstwhile capital.  We didn’t have any definitive dining plans, so once settled at Shunkoin Temple, we decided that ramen made for a fast and easy meal option. For many of our food recommendations, we relied on Kyoto Foodie’s blog and headed out to the other side of town in search of Takaraya Ramen on Pontocho, near Gion.

The Pontocho district is a small narrow alleyway lined with restaurants, karaoke bars, and ochaya (geisha tea houses) – it’s been a traditional hanamachi (geisha district) since the 16^th century. Indeed, as DD and I traversed the narrow street, we saw a brightly-bedecked maiko (apprentice geisha) duck into one of the establishments – perhaps for an appointment with clients.

But on to Takaraya and the ramen.

Counter at Takaraya

Takaraya "booths"

The Pontocho branch of Takayraya is spacious and fancy. In addition to the counter seats, nicely appointed in glossy red leatherette, there are booths of a sort as well, that can accommodate a couple or a  group of 4. For privacy, a high-ish divider straight down the length of the table bisects your space and separates you from the other half. Cozily ensconced in your little cubby you’ll see the menu (in Nihongo and English), a wooden tray holding spices – sichimi togarashi and white pepper and red chile flakes – and napkin and chopsticks holders. The staff (who understands a bit of English, and seems accustomed to serving gaijin) takes your order and brings you cold tea immediately.

Kimchee and Beer

We couldn’t pass up ordering a nama biru and a dish of “Hoshiyama brand Kimchee” – made by a company that had been founded in Kyoto in the late 1950s.

We had read that Kyoto-style ramen tended to be more delicate in flavour than either Hakata or Tokyo-style ramen, perhaps owing to the fact that a Kyoto broth is made out of chicken mixed with pork rather than pure pork broth. But there was nothing “delicate” about these bowls of noodles. They were boldly flavoured and spectacular.

Toroniku Ramen

Because DD had planned on ordering the Kyoto-style chicken broth ramen, I opted for the toroniku – a beautiful pork-and-chicken broth topped with thinly-sliced fatty pork from the jowl, meltingly tender, swooningly porky. Yes, the “toro” in the name is a nod to the fatty tuna belly of sushi and sashimi. The white bits you see floating in the bowl are bits of fat(!), but there was a nice amount of green onion and I also ordered extra menma and an egg to accompany the pork (fearing it might get too lonely with just green onion and fat for company). I liked the broth and the noodles, even managing to finish most of the liquid after the thin threads (not overly chewy) were gone.

Sumashi Ramen

This bowl of goodness probably takes first place for being such a distinct and unique offering out of all our ramen encounters in Japan. Made with just chicken broth, the soup was not necessarily “lighter,” but it tasted sweeter, less salty, and it still was complex, packing in flavours with every mouthful. A bit of smokiness came from bits of bacon; texture from teeny morsels of mozarella, heartiness from the chicken tsukune meatballs. Like the toroniku broth, fat globules also swam merrily alongside fried gobo and bits of cabbage. The black bits – pepper and sesame.

Takaraya Line

We arrived a little after 6pm on a Sunday evening, ducked under the noren, and didn’t have to wait long before we were ushered to one of the booths; by the time we exited, a line had formed outside in the darkening evening.

More Flickr Photos here.

Takaraya Ramen Pontocho

http://www.takaraya.info/shops/pontocho.html

宝屋 ラーメン 先斗町店